East Belfast: homes evacuated after suspicious device found

A number of homes were evacuated in east Belfast following the discovery of a suspicious device. Police and Army Technical Officers (ATO) were called to Victor Place on Wednesday afternoon. Cordons were put in place at the junction of Woodstock Place and Swift Place/Street. Police say the security alert has now ended. Community centres in east Belfast were opened to affected residents, but BBC News NI understands most of them have since been able to return to their homes. An expanded service means the time of day or night a stroke occurs is no longer a barrier to treatment. The deadlock over the Orange Order march in Portadown - opposed by residents of the Garvaghy Road - has lasted since last Sunday morning. Facing questions in the Stormont assembly, O'Neill said she was "proud" to stand with the residents and "will continue to stand with them". Twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins, died when the bomb tore through Omagh town centre. Two separate shootings in Coleraine are being treated as attempted murder by the PSNI. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linki